Missing In Action
by Jen Kollic
Summary: Yet another Helga survival story. Will have a few twists to it, and my own spin on Helga's relationships with Rourke and her husband. Rated at PG-13 now, but will probably go up to R later. Chapter 5 up.
1. Consequences

**AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER:**  
  
Wow, I never thought my first submitted fic would be an Atlantis one. Oh well. I believe that this story will treat Helga's background a little differently than most; I have my own theories about her relationship with Rourke and her husband. These will be brought out eventually, along with a few other twists. Dedicated to L, since without her prodding this fic would not exist. Hi L! *waves* I posted it! Woo!   
  
Oh, and I own the character Nikala, but that's all. Everything else is copyright Disney. If I owned Atlantis, you can bet that it would have been Rourke who took a fall from the gyro-evac. I may also use material from "Atlantis: A Traveller's Guide to the Lost City", which has been very useful. The Atlanteans really do live in hollowed gourds you know.   
  
**  
CHAPTER I - Consequences**  
  
With a grunt of exertion, Helga tossed the last fuel tank over the side of the gyro-evac to burst across the cavern floor far below. "That's it," she called to Rourke, who was uselessly raging at the Atlantean ships attacking their biplanes. "Unless someone wants to jump." she added sarcastically.  
  
Leaning forward slightly to watch the brutal aerial dogfight, she realised that the balloon was still sinking. And jumped as she felt Rourke's hands close mercilessly on her shoulders.   
  
"Ladies first." he said with chilling casualness. And before she could react, Rourke had thrown her over the side.   
  
Reflexively, Helga reached out and caught hold of the rail below the platform, narrowly missing losing a foot to one of the propellers as it swept past below her. She hung there for a few moments, unable to believe what had just happened. Rourke had thrown her off. Her! With a snarl of rage, Helga flipped herself back up, slamming both feet into Rourke's surprised face and knocking him back. Before he could get up, she kicked at him again, infuriated beyond reason. How dare he?!   
  
"You said we were in this together!" she shouted as her foot flashed towards him, ignoring the Atlantean craft, which sped past behind her. Kicking him in the face twice, she drew back slightly for a powerful roundhouse. "You promised me a percentage!" But this time Rourke was ready, and caught her foot as she kicked at him.   
  
"Next time get it in writing." he sneered, giving her leg a vicious twist. Then he pushed her back and up, over the rail and too far out for her to grab hold of anything to stop herself falling.   
  
"ROURKE!" Helga screamed as she plummeted to the cavern floor, her hair pulling free from its ponytail and fluttering about her face. She heard his scornful shout of "Nothing personal!" echo after her, and at that point she'd have given all the treasures of Atlantis just to wipe that smug grin from his face. Helplessly twisting through the air in freefall, she saw the solid, unyielding rock hurtling towards her...   
  
* * *  
  
Inexpertly piloting her Martag past the great balloon, the Atlantean girl saw Helga kick at Rourke, knocking him back. She hadn't known the blonde surfacer was on their side as well... A rattle of bullets against the side of the stone fish sharply brought her attention back to her current situation, and she returned fire with a blast of the Martag's lighting weapon.   
  
* * *  
  
The impact with the ground had knocked Helga senseless, but sheer agony dragged her back to consciousness. She was sprawled face-down across the cavern floor, barely able to breathe. Groaning in pain, she slowly pushed herself up with her left arm. She could smell the overpowering stink of gasoline; obviously some of the fuel tanks had crashed nearby. From the sharp pains shooting through her chest, she guessed that she'd broken several ribs, and her right leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. Still, somehow she managed to push herself onto her side, the searing bolts of agony that rifled through her body only spurring her on.   
  
Looking up through blurred eyes, she dimly saw the bright red mass of the gyro-evac high above her, rising up towards the open shaft. The hate that surged through her served as an effective painkiller. That bastard thought he'd won, that she was finished, but she'd show him...   
  
Reaching for her flare gun with her left hand, she found it still safely tucked into her belt at her back, and slowly drew it out. Bracing her left arm with her right, she carefully took aim at the balloon, her finger on the trigger.  
  
"Nothing personal." she muttered savagely as she fired. She watched the flare streak up towards the gyro-evac, hoping, praying it would hit. To her great satisfaction it did, and she allowed a pained smile of triumph to flicker across her face as the balloon burst into flames.   
  
Slumping back against the hard ground, her strength spent, Helga felt dampness against her right arm as it fell outstretched at her side. The smell of gasoline was much stronger... her arm lay in a pool of the stuff. The overpowering reek of it made her aching head spin, and she closed her eyes with a wince of pain as flaming wreckage rained down about her.   
  
Her eyes opened slightly as she heard the gyro-evac crash nearby, but she was too exhausted and agonised to move. Strangely, she felt drowsy, the pain growing distant. And she didn't see the flaming ruin of machinery that collapsed into the same pool of gasoline her arm lay in. But her eyes flared fully open as the most exquisite pain she'd ever known engulfed her arm as the gasoline erupted into flames. With a piercing shriek, Helga instinctively rolled herself away to the side despite her injuries, and immediately blacked out.   
  
* * *  
  
Although Helga's scream was almost entirely drowned out by the ominous rumbling of the awakening volcano, the Atlantean girl heard it. Looking round, she saw Helga's body lying forgotten on the shaking ground, dangerously close to the blazing wreck of the surfacers' flying machine. Without thinking, she darted over to her as the other surfacers were chaining Kida's pod to another Martag, and leapt from her own to land beside her. She instantly saw that the blonde woman was horribly injured, her right arm terribly burned and smoking. She would have to move her with great care; the woman must have fallen from the balloon...   
  
Then the ground began to crack and split, lava boiling up from beneath it. In a panic, the girl seized Helga's body and slung it over the back of her Martag, then leapt onto the vehicle herself. Holding Helga on with one arm, she piloted the craft out of the cavern with the other, shooting past the Martag towing Kida's prison as the lava burst free behind them.   
  
* * *  
  
As what remained of the Atlantean armada raced into the city, the volcano began to erupt in earnest, lava seeping through the fissure into the cavern housing Atlantis itself. Like ever other inhabitant of the city, (not to mention Milo and the remaining crew of the Ulysses) the girl who'd saved Helga gazed in both terror and awe as Kida's crystalline form was freed from its prison and rose high into the air.   
  
She jumped in shock as the carved stones representing the ancient kings smashed up from beneath the plaza to circle around the princess. Like every other Atlantean, she had not known of their existence, but recognised them immediately, then was forced to look away as the intensity of the light around Kida grew brighter, shooting dazzling beams across the city. Then the ground began to tremble, a shadow falling across the girl as one of the great stone giants rose from the water nearby to take its place with the others.   
  
As she looked around wildly at the towering statues striding out towards the extreme boundary of the city, the girl caught sight of Helga's limp body lying across the back of the Martag... regardless of the importance of what was going on around her, the girl knew she'd die without immediate medical attention. With a last look of amazement towards the stone giants, now far out in the distance, she turned the Martag towards her home and sped off.  
  
* * *  
  
The Atlantean girl, named Nikala, had been born a few centuries after the sinking of Atlantis, and luckily for Helga had been trained as a combat healer to provide medical help in the head of battle. As a result, she paid little attention to the lava sweeping over the glowing blue dome encasing the city as she carefully lifted Helga's body from the Martag, and carried her into the giant hollowed gourd that served as her home.   
  
Laying the blonde woman down upon the bed, Nikala briefly wondered if she was doing the right thing... should she have told someone that she'd rescued the woman? No, it would have taken too much time, and there was no way she could have fought her way through the crowd to the other surfacers. And the woman needed help now.   
  
A quick examination told her that the woman's burned arm was by no means her only injury, though it was certainly the most severe. She also had about half a dozen broken ribs as well as deep bruises, and her right leg was broken below the knee. Biting her lip in concern as she listened to the woman's harsh, laboured breathing, Nikala removed her crystal from around her neck, and laid it gently on Helga's forehead, just above the bridge of her nose, then began to dash about the room collecting what healing supplies she'd need.  
  
The soft blue glow of the crystal brightened slightly as it rested upon Helga's forehead, illuminating her features. Her face had been contorted in agony, but slowly began to relax as her ragged breathing grew slower and deeper. Nikala returned with a large leather satchel and a bowl of water, almost dropping the bowl in anxiety. Slightly reassured by the woman's calmer appearance, she drew a carved clamshell from the satchel, and opened it. Within it were strange-looking metal instruments carefully arranged upon the silk lining, and the blue light of the crystal glittered upon sharp and serrated blades as the girl selected an implement and began her work.  
  
  
  



	2. Presumed Dead

**AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER**  
  
I'd just like to state here and now that Helga is my favourite character in _Atlantis_, so don't flame me. There is method to my madness. Well, actually that was a lie, but I'm sure I had a reason for what I did to her...  
  
I own Nikala, everything else is copyright Disney.  
  
  
**CHAPTER II - Presumed Dead **  
  
"Milo, for the last time, Kida'll be FINE!" Joshua Sweet was starting to lose his patience as he headed down the steps of the royal palace. He was hoping that this time Milo would just stay up there with the girl and stop bothering him... but the sound of feet running after him (and almost tripping down the entire flight of stairs) told him he was out of luck   
  
"But she's hardly moved in the last two days!" Milo gasped out as he caught up with the medical officer. "She's barely been awake since the crystal let her go!" He was about to continue when the look he got from Sweet silenced him. It wasn't a good look, considering how much bigger than Milo he was.   
  
"We've been through this Milo. Seven times." Sweet began, still walking down the steps to the plaza below. "The girl is exhausted, and considering what she's been through that's hardly surprising. You following me?"   
  
"Well, yes..." Milo agreed reluctantly. "But still-"   
  
"But nothing!" Sweet interrupted him. "She. Will. Be. FINE! And she'd probably be better if you weren't dragging me up there to bother her every five minutes!"   
  
"And you're completely sure she'll be okay?" he replied, then was silent again as he saw Sweet's expression, his glasses slowly sliding down his nose.  
  
"Boy, you keep this up and you're getting a smack." Sweet growled. "I'm sure. I'm only a trained professional though," he added with a slight grin. "So maybe you might want a second opinion from Cookie or something."   
  
"Okay, point taken... sorry Sweet." With a sigh, Milo pushed his glasses back up as the two of them stepped down onto the circular plaza. "It's just been... kinda crazy and all."   
  
"You're telling me." a familiar monotone broke in. Both of them looked round to see Mrs Packard sitting on a fallen statue nearby, smoking an intricately carved Atlantean pipe. "I reached 'crazy' saturation point right when that big lobster attacked the sub." Taking a long draw on the pipe, she stared out across the newly risen outer reaches of the city with as much interest as she might have had in cleaning her boots.   
  
"Uhhhhhh... hey Mrs Packard." Milo greeted her. He'd never been sure how to deal with her complete indifference to everything about her. It was unsettling. "Have you seen the others?"   
  
"No." she replied shortly, indicating no further wish for conversation. Milo wondered how she'd managed to tie up the Ulysses' wireless system with phone calls so often; even while it had been under attack she'd just carried on talking until Helga had...   
  
"...hey..." he said slowly, only just remembering what he'd seen and heard after crashing his Akitirak into the gyro-evac. "Did anyone see what happened to Helga?"   
  
"Nope." Sweet replied with a shrug, while Mrs Packard ignored the question completely. "She was in the balloon with Rourke, wasn't she?"   
  
"Until he threw her out." Milo told him.   
  
"He WHAT?!" Sweet looked amazed and shocked. "But she was his right-hand ma- uh, woman."   
  
"There's relationships for ya." Mrs Packard commented, taking another drag on her pipe.   
  
Despite himself (and trying NOT to think of the mental images Mrs Packard's statement conjured up) Milo couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Maybe he should have done something. "Well, after I kinda... uh... crashed into the balloon, it started falling again, so he threw her out to lighten the load. I heard them fighting just before I jumped Rourke."   
  
"Men." Mrs Packard muttered.   
  
Sweet was having trouble keeping a straight face at the thought of Milo attacking Rourke. But he knew from Milo's expression that making a sarcastic comment right now would be a bad idea. Besides, the kid had some guts to try a stunt like that. "Well, the fall probably killed her Milo. Don't beat yourself up about it."   
  
"And if it didn't then the volcano would have." Mrs Packard added.   
  
If anything, that mental image was worse. Milo repressed a shudder at the thought. "I guess you're right. Just one more person that got killed on this trip thanks to me." Slumping down onto the bottom step, he sat with his head in his hands, wondering if it had all been worth it. Sure, he'd found Atlantis, and found Kida... but so many people had died. Out of the entire crew of the Ulysses only seven were left, himself included. Not to mention the Atlanteans that had died in the attack on Rourke, and Kida's father.   
  
Sweet sat down beside him, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "Kid, we've been through this. Rourke would have come after this place with or without you. Hell, if you look at it that way we're all guilty; at least you and Audrey weren't on the team that found the journal in the first place."  
  
Sighing heavily, Milo stared at the carved rock floor beneath him. "...I'm just starting to wish I'd hired that rowboat after all." he said softly.  
  
"Oh yeah, and how would THAT have stood up to the Leviathan?" Sweet asked with a grin. "And didn't your grandfather say you couldn't put a price on knowledge?" Standing up, Sweet dragged Milo with him by his collar. "Take a look around Milo. Didn't you notice that the city got a whole lot bigger after the dome went down?" He swept his hand out at the vista before them; the city now stretching to the furthest limit of the water instead of only halfway. "Despite everything that's happened, I'd say this is a good thing."   
  
Looking out at the new-old buildings receding off into the distance, Milo couldn't help a wistful smile. "Okay, you've got a point."   
  
"That's the spirit." Sweet grinned, giving Milo a slap on the back that almost knocked him flat.   
  
* * *   
  
Sweet and Milo weren't the only ones admiring the new cityscape. Nikala was sitting on top of her home, staring out at what had previously been unbroken water in disbelief. She could see other Atlanteans exploring the newly risen buildings with some trepidation, and wouldn't have minded taking a look herself... but she couldn't leave her home.   
  
Swinging back through one of the large windows in the upper storey of the hollow gourd, Nikala jumped down to the main room below. She had been checking on the blonde surfacer constantly, to the point of sitting by the bed watching her for most of the past two days. She still hadn't told anyone that the surfacer was there, firstly because she was afraid to leave her, secondly because she lived in a somewhat remote part of the city. (and everyone seemed to be exploring the new districts anyway)   
  
Helga had not moved since Nikala had laid her on the bed, apart from the occasional twitch. Yet she seemed to be improving slightly, her pulse was stronger and her breathing steadier. The Atlantean was amazed by her resilience. And fascinated by her appearance, her golden hair and pale skin were unlike anything Nikala had seen.   
  
Loosening the bandages around Helga's right arm, Nikala gently applied a pale green salve to what remained of the skin. The burns had been severe, second and third degree, and it was unlikely that the woman would be able to use the arm properly again. Replacing the bandages with clean ones, Nikala checked on the woman's other injuries, but there was little she could do to help broken bones heal except to ensure they remained properly set. And that wasn't hard when the patient wasn't moving.   
  
But as she examined the deep, bloody bruises across Helga's torso Nikala felt her flinch slightly, and drew back a little, unconsciously holding her breath. She could see the woman's eyelids flickering, and hadn't expected her to wake up so soon. With a quick movement, Nikala perched on the foot of the bed and watched intently.   
  
* * *  
  
_ ...she could feel herself falling, the solid rock of the cavern floor rushing towards her. And from this height, the pumice ash would not break her fall, only her bones. A scream tore from Helga's throat as she hit the ground... _  
  
With a hoarse shout, Helga's body jerked up from the bed then fell back heavily as agony lanced through her. Her mouth opened soundlessly, trying to scream but she was barely able to breathe through the pain searing through her chest.   
  
Jumping back in shock at Helga's shout, Nikala had fallen off the bed. Stumbling back to her feet, she moved round to stand over the woman. Her eyes had opened slightly, but were glazed and unfocused. Placing one hand on her crystal, she felt it tingle against her fingers, then gently touched Helga's forehead, leaving faint glowing fingerprints.   
  
Everything hurt. The pain seemed to be focused in her right leg and chest, and especially strong in her right arm, but it had infused through her entire body. Helga's memory was a blur; all she remembered was falling and fire. A shadow moved over her, and she caught sight of a blue glow coming towards her. Then there was something cold against her forehead, and the pain began to ease. And she remembered.   
  
"ROURKE!" Helga screamed, her left hand clawing uselessly at the air. "You BASTARD!" In blind rage, she forced herself up from the bed. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't care. All she wanted right now was to get her hands on Rourke. Someone caught hold of her, and she lashed out at them furiously, trying to break free.   
  
Panicking as the woman tried to get up, mostly because of what the movement would do to her injuries, Nikala quickly restrained her and tried to push her back onto the bed. In retaliation, Helga punched at her, catching her high on the cheekbone. But the blow had no strength to it. Then, with a wheezing gasp, she went limp and slumped against Nikala's chest, gasping for breath. Carefully easing the woman back down, Nikala waited to see if she would try to get up again. Thankfully she didn't, but was obviously in a lot of pain. Taking off her crystal pendant, she placed it on Helga's forehead as she had done before, and watched as its glow grew brighter.   
  
Gradually, impossibly, Helga's pain began to fade. Taking deep, rasping breaths, she opened her eyes to find that her sight had cleared... and that she was looking up into a pair of wide indigo eyes, a stripe of vivid blue running below them.   
  
Nikala sighed in relief as the woman stilled, calming as the crystal numbed her pain. But as she reached out to pick it up, Helga's eyes opened again, gazing straight up into hers. Freezing in mid-movement, Nikala could only stare back, unsure of what to do now.   
  
An Atlantean. That meant she was back in Atlantis. Helga wondered exactly HOW she'd gotten back, all she remembered was blacking out in the volcano cavern. Was she a prisoner? If so, then she wondered why they'd left a young woman to guard her instead of a warrior. The girl looked a little younger than the princess, but shared the same athletic build, dark skin and white hair. Only in her case, it was shorter and tied back in a ponytail. And unlike Kida, her facial tattoo was an inverted 'v' running across her nose just below her eyes.   
  
"Soopuhk..." Nikala said, a little hesitantly. The woman's suspicious scrutiny was making her nervous. The glare that she got from Helga made her shrink back a little, wondering if she'd offended her somehow.   
  
"I'm sorry, I don't speak gibberish." Helga muttered, her voice hoarse and scratchy. "Aren't you all supposed to speak English anyway?"   
  
"I... I'm sorry..." Nikala replied in awkward, halting English. "Your tongue is strange to me..."   
  
"Well at least now we're getting somewhere." Helga snapped back. "Now you can tell me exactly what happened and how I got here." Now that her pain had gone she was slowly regaining her composure, and there were several important things she needed to know right now. Namely what had happened to Rourke, if she was a prisoner, and why she couldn't move her right arm.   
  
"I found you." the Atlantean responded. "Back at the volcano, I saw you were hurt so I brought you here to help you."   
  
Helga's eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if the girl was as imbecilic as she seemed. She had just brought her back here? "Am I a prisoner?" she asked, not sure whether the Atlantean knew exactly who she was.   
  
"Of course not!" Nikala sounded shocked. "Why would you be? I saw you fighting the man who was taking Princess Kida, he threw you from the flying machine, didn't he?"   
  
"Yes." Helga growled angrily, mentally replacing "imbecilic" with "ignorant", and intending to keep it that way. "He did. Because I fought with him." She paused for a moment, thinking. "I only went with him so that I could stop him," she added, lying through her teeth. "What happened to him?"   
  
"The Heart of Atlantis destroyed him." Nikala said matter-of-factly. "He was not worthy of its power," she continued. "So it consumed him. Then I think he was smashed by the flying machine."   
  
Helga didn't reply at first, her left fist clenching. That was hardly unpleasant enough; Rourke had gotten off lightly as far as she was concerned. "Good..." she snarled eventually. "He deserved it." Snapping out of her vengeful haze, Helga remembered that she still didn't know much about her situation. "So... are you the only person who knows I'm here?" she asked, hardly daring to hope.   
  
Nikala nodded, a little confused by the woman's slight smile in response. "I had to stay with you... you were badly injured." she told her, wondering exactly how to tell her that her right arm was pretty much useless.   
  
The Atlantean's expression quickly dampened Helga's initial feeling of triumph. Rourke was dead (though admittedly she'd have preferred a messier ending for him) and nobody knew she had survived; meaning that escape from Atlantis would be easier than she had thought. But now she knew there was something here that the girl wasn't telling her. "What do you mean?" she asked, with the slightest hint of apprehension.   
  
Turning her head away slightly, Nikala shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't been looking forward to this. "Well... you broke a leg, and some ribs. And those should heal up just fine!"   
  
Helga rolled her eyes, knowing avoidance techniques when she heard them. "But?" she pressed, wanting to know what the girl was hiding. Helga did have her own suspicions, but she was hoping that she was wrong...   
  
There was nothing else for it. Taking a deep breath, Nikala glanced at Helga, and looked away again. "Your right arm was badly burned," she almost whispered. "Very badly."   
  
Her suspicions had been right. Helga wasn't sure whether to be pleased with herself or not. "Show me." she ordered. After all, it couldn't be THAT bad... could it?  
  



	3. Repercussions

**AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER**  
  
Again, I repeat that Helga is my favourite character, and that I had a very good reason for doing what I did to her. I just wish I could remember it.   
  
I own Nikala, Disney owns everything else. Including my soul. I'll get it back one day!!!  
**  
  
CHAPTER III - Repercussions **  
  
"Mole?" Milo called as he carefully made his way through the tunnel leading into what had once been the shaft Rourke had tried to escape through. The solidified lava had shattered much like that which had covered the dome protecting Atlantis, and now the passage was filled with broken rock and other debris. The light from his torch glittered across razor-sharp shards of obsidian scattered across the floor, making his progress slower as he gingerly picked his way through it. "Mole?!"   
  
If anything, the former cavern was even more of a mess, littered with both ash and fragments of basalt. A cloud of mixed soot and ash billowed behind Milo as he waded through it, and he wondered how Mole could possibly enjoy such conditions. He could hear scuffling movements coming from the far side of the chamber, and swung the beam of his torch in that direction.   
  
There was an angry hiss in response, and the light gleamed off Mole's goggles as he looked up from where he was scrabbling amongst the rocks. "Who is zat?!" he growled angrily. "Zis place ees unsafe!"   
  
"Uhm, it's just me Mole." Milo replied, wondering nervously just how unsafe the cavern was. "If this place is dangerous, why are you here?"   
  
"Bah! Eet ees only dangerous for thoze who do not understand eet!" Mole said contemptuously. "I on zee other hand find eet perfectly safe." Looking back down at the jumble of rocks at his feet, Mole suddenly darted forward with a gasp and snatched up one of them. "Aaaah, zis ees meednight lace obsidian! Ees it not beautiful?" He held the small piece of volcanic glass to the small light on his goggles, admiring the swirls of colour through the translucent stone.   
  
"Yes, fascinating I'm sure." Milo was hoping he wouldn't get another geological lecture; Mole could go on for hours if given the chance. (and he tended to go on for hours whether anyone was listening or not) "I was wondering, since you've been looking around here and all... did you find any, well, bodies?"   
  
Looking up sharply from his treasure, Mole stared disbelievingly at Milo for a few seconds, and then burst into hysterical laughter. "Bodies?! Silly boy, zere vill be no bodies in zee wake of zee volcano!" He seemed to find the whole concept hilarious. "Zee lava ees over one thousand degrees centigrade vhen eet reaches zee surface! Eet vould have consumed zee bodies almost instantly and carried zem vith eet. Zee skeletons vould 'ave been calcified and become von vith zee rock!" There was a pause as Mole considered that. "Actually, zat ees not a bad vay to go..." he mused.   
  
Feeling nauseous at the thought, not to mention Mole's charming description, Milo managed a somewhat shaky nod. "Well, that's... lovely Mole. I'll just... uhhhh... leave you to it then." He edged away as Mole continued to root around in the detritus of rock and ash, making a mental note to never, EVER go near anything remotely volcanic again.   
  
* * *   
  
"...mein Gott..." Complete and utter shock had stunned Helga so badly that she slipped into her native German, which she'd barely spoken in years. She simply stared at her arm in uncomprehending horror. She hadn't been expecting this.   
  
After taking the bandages from the woman's arm, Nikala had retreated to a safe distance. (which, considering the circumstances, didn't need to be that great) She wasn't sure what she should do; there wasn't anything she COULD do. Crystal healing could ease pain and cure minor cuts and bruises, but this was certainly not minor.   
  
Helga could hardly believe that what she was looking at was her arm. It had been burned so badly that she could barely move it at all; only slight mobility at the shoulder was left. Her hand wouldn't respond at all, the fingers frozen in a spasmodic curl. But it wasn't the paralysis that was the most shocking, it was the scarring. In some places the skin was blistered and raw; in others it seemed to have been completely destroyed. In several places across her forearm, the flesh had been stripped back almost to the muscle beneath.   
  
"...what... what the hell happened to me?!" Helga eventually choked out, tearing her eyes from the horrific sight. Her arm. She was right handed. What on earth would she do now?!   
  
"The flying machine crashed near you." Nikala told her quietly. "The ground was on fire, there was some kind of liquid there that burned... I think your arm got caught in the flames. I didn't see how it happened, it was like that when I found you." She couldn't imagine how the woman must be feeling right now, only think of how terrible it would be to lose the use of an arm.   
  
Vague memories resurfaced in Helga's mind. The fuel tanks she'd thrown from the gyro-evac... she remembered being surrounded by the stench of gasoline as she'd lain sprawled across the cavern floor. And the searing agony she'd felt before blacking out. A powerful surge of mixed hatred, fury and resentment rushed through her as she realised that this was because of Rourke too. It was because of him that she'd come here, and it was he who'd thrown her from the balloon! And Thatch too, they'd never have found this hellhole if it wasn't for him! Even the price of the crystal wasn't worth... the crystal!   
  
"You can fix this, can't you?" Helga asked urgently, looking up at the girl with a mixture of hope and desperation. "Those crystals have power, I've seen it... Thatch told me about it!" She'd seen the Heart of Atlantis turn Kida into a living crystal woman, so surely healing her arm would be easy. Surely...   
  
Nikala couldn't look at her, and could barely make herself reply. "I cannot heal such severe burns. I'm sorry." she said eventually. "The crystals can only heal minor wounds. All I can do is ease your pain."   
  
Helga stared at her disbelievingly. How could a force that powerful be incapable of such a relatively simple task? "You're lying." she said coldly. "I've seen what those crystals can do! You're telling me they can make a stone fish fly, but they can't heal my arm?!"   
  
"If they can heal your arm, then I don't know how it's done." Nikala replied, a little defensively. "I could find a senior healer, they might know more..."   
  
Helga was about to agree, but even as she opened her mouth to say so, she froze. What would happen if the other Atlanteans found out she was here? And the princess... she wouldn't exactly be well disposed towards her. "...are you sure there's no way to do it?" she asked finally.   
  
"No way that I know of." the Atlantean answered. "And if it could be done, I'm sure I would have been taught how. But..." she continued, straightening up, "I should find a senior healer anyway... they might be able to do more for you than I can."   
  
"No!" The woman's shout made Nikala jump. "You don't have to, I'm sure you've done enough." Helga was trying hard to conceal the anxiety in her voice. The last thing she needed was to make the girl suspicious.   
  
"But... what of your friends?" Nikala sounded bemused. "They don't know you're alive..."   
  
_'Good...'_ Helga thought to herself, rapidly thinking up an excuse. "If they know I'm alive they'll want to see me." she went on, knowing that was true. "And do you think I want them to see me like this?" That wasn't exactly a lie either, she couldn't stand the thought of any of the crew seeing her humiliated and disfigured like this.   
  
Fortunately for Helga, Nikala believed her, and could see why she wouldn't want anyone to see her in such a condition. "I understand." she said with a nod. "But are you sure you don't want me to get another healer? Wasn't one of your companions a doctor?"   
  
"I'm sure he couldn't do any more than you." Helga replied quickly, thinking grimly of Sweet's bone saw. "Just... cover it again, will you?" She couldn't bear looking at what had once been her arm any longer, if it was hidden then it would be easier not to fret about it.   
  
With another nod, Nikala began to re-wrap the bandages around Helga's arm, taking care not to pull too tightly. "Try not to move it for now, until the skin starts to heal it will break easily." she informed her as she knotted the bandage at Helga's shoulder.   
  
"That won't be difficult..." Helga couldn't help a slightly derisive snort. After all, it was very easy to keep a limb still when it was incapable of movement anyway. "Anything else?"   
  
"Yes, you'll need to stay in bed." Nikala told her. "I've set your leg, but it must be kept still or the bone will shift."   
  
"Great." Helga muttered under her breath. "How long will it take to heal?" She had wanted to get out of here quickly, knowing she wouldn't be able to remain undetected indefinitely. Then again, the longer she was here, the less they'd be expecting to find her...   
  
"At least five or six weeks." the girl responded. "The splint will have to stay on longer, but you should be able to put your weight on it again by then."   
  
With a sigh of mixed frustration and resignation, Helga mentally cursed Rourke for the hundredth time. But at least she was still alive... and she knew she would have died without the girl's help. "What's your name anyway?" she asked as an afterthought.   
  
"Nikala." the Atlantean replied. "And yours?"   
  
Helga considered lying, but realised it would be pointless anyway. "Helga Sinclair." She only just stopped herself from telling the girl to address her as 'Lieutenant'. "Just call me Helga, that'll do." Settling back with another sigh, she returned to imagining what she'd have liked to do to Rourke. If she was going to be here six weeks, she'd need a hobby.  



	4. Pointless Fluff

**AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER**  
  
There really is a creature like Tillik in _Atlantis_, (in the house where Milo and Kida go for dinner) but I haven't been able to find out what they're called... if anyone knows, I'd be grateful if you could tell me! I wish they'd given it more screen-time, the bloody parrot-lizards cetainly got enough... And I don't know whether I write Milo/Kida properly, but I certainly don't care either.  
  
Speech within square brackets indicates that the character is talking in Atlantean. Whoever decided to say that "How To Speak Atlantean" is a special feature on the DVD is a filthy liar.  
  
Nikala belongs to me, everything else belongs to Disney.  
  
**  
CHAPTER IV - Pointless Fluff**  
  
Sitting on the top step of the stairway to the royal pavilion, Milo gazed out across the city. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him, and jumped as a hand touched his shoulder.   
  
"Milo?" Kida was standing behind him, somewhat surprised by his reaction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."   
  
Only just stopping himself from falling down the entire flight of steps, Milo managed to scramble back to his feet, wondering if he was cursed to keep embarrassing himself in front of the princess. "Scared? Who said I was scared?" Trying to laugh off his reaction, Milo's nervous giggle faded as he looked at the princess; Kida didn't seem happy at all. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I... heard your companions talking about leaving." Kida replied quietly, looking down at her feet. She wasn't sure how to put this; she couldn't order Milo to stay after all. But she certainly didn't want him to go.   
  
Completely missing Kida's meaning, Milo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's wonderful here and all, but they've got lives on the surface to get back to. Sweet mentioned it to me earlier, I was meaning to talk to you about it, but I didn't think it was that important..."   
  
"You didn't think it was important?!" Kida interrupted him, her voice shaking slightly in both horror and anger. "What about... well... what about us?"   
  
Still not fully comprehending, Milo could only stare at her blankly. "Uhhh..." He wasn't sure how to answer her, guessing that asking what she meant would be a bad idea.   
  
Mistaking his hesitation for the answer she'd been afraid of, Kida felt lump rise in her throat. Milo was leaving too. Although she wanted to cry, Kida quickly concealed her true feelings with a mask of anger. "Just forget it then!" she snapped, turning to go back into the palace. "Go on, leave!"   
  
Staring at Kida's retreating back in shock, Milo finally realised just what she'd been implying. "Kida, wait!" he shouted, running after her. "I didn't mean it like that!"   
  
Pivoting on her heel, Kida swung round to face him once more, hands on hips. "Then what DID you mean?" she asked shortly, her eyes flashing dangerously. Despite her feelings for Milo, she was in no mood to be toyed around with.   
  
She was cute when she was angry. Well, cute when she was angry and didn't have a weapon close to hand anyway... then Milo realised it was probably a good idea to calm her down before she went to find one. "Kida, I never intended to leave," he said gently. "Not after all we've been through."   
  
Kida's anger evaporated at both his words and the heartfelt sincerity in his voice. Feeling guilty for having jumped to the wrong conclusion, she apologised. "I'm sorry Milo, I shouldn't have reacted so badly... I was just afraid that you were going to leave too. But what about your life on the surface?"   
  
"That means nothing next to life here Kida." Milo replied. "And even less next to life without you." he added with a smile.   
  
Returning the smile, Kida threw herself forward into him, hugging him tightly as she had done when the Heart of Atlantis had returned her. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders, and realised that even though she'd lost her father, she would never be alone. "I love you Milo." Kida told him quietly.   
  
Milo would have replied, but the kiss took him by surprise. Not that he was complaining...   
  
* * *   
  
Helga's sleep had been fitful at best over the past few days; she'd been lying awake for most of the time, thinking about what had happened. Although Nikala had been using the crystal to ease her pain and help her relax, she'd been waking at the slightest sound or movement. Nikala's presence was somewhat reassuring, but the girl had left to go fishing about an hour ago. Though she didn't like to admit it, even to herself, Helga knew that she was scared. She was sure that if she were discovered, she'd quickly meet an unpleasant end, most likely at the hands of the princess. After all, she would have been partially responsible for the death of the entire Atlantean civilization if she'd gotten what she'd wanted...   
  
No. No, it was what Rourke had wanted. She'd just gone along with him because she knew he wouldn't lose... No, because she'd had no choice. Yes, that was right, she'd had no choice. (and no idea what was going to happen, otherwise she might have stayed behind with Milo) Of course she hadn't sided with Rourke because she'd been sure he'd win, (and make her rich) she had sided with him because she knew what he was capable of. (besides, Thatch had no idea what he was talking about, why would taking the crystal have made any difference to the Atlanteans?) Yes, Helga was sure that story would convince Kida... she just wished it would convince herself.   
  
With a sigh of mixed annoyance and regret, Helga shifted gingerly onto her left side and stared at the wall. She hated feeling guilty. It was even worse now that she was being cared for by one of the people who would have died if she and Rourke had gotten away. To be fair, she'd had her doubts from the moment they'd discovered that the Atlantean people were very much alive. But Rourke had been persuasive, and so had the thought of how much the Atlantean power source would be worth...   
  
An ominous creaking in the tree branches above the gourd snapped Helga out of her reminiscence. Inhaling sharply, she told herself that it was only the wind. Then realised that if it were the wind, she'd have felt it. Helga was suddenly painfully aware of being completely alone, as far as she knew there was no other Atlanteans nearby. She listened carefully, but the creaking had stopped, and she exhaled heavily. She hadn't realised that she'd been holding her breath. It must have been some kind of animal, probably just a bird.  
  
A dark shape leapt through one of the windows in the upper level of the gourd, landing with a thud upon the slatted floor. Jumping in shock, Helga tried not to wince as the movement made her ribs throb. Swallowing hard, she gazed helplessly up as the (large) shape paced about the upper floor on four clawed feet. She didn't know if there were man-eating creatures in Atlantis, but it certainly wouldn't surprise her.  
  
_'...stay up there... stay up there... please stay up there...'_ she thought desperately to herself as the creature's shadow fell across her, willing it to ignore her. As if it had heard, it stopped its movements. And leapt down to the lower level through a gap in the slats. Helga instantly turned to face it, putting her back against the wall. But in her hurry, she rolled onto her mutilated arm, and couldn't hold back an audible gasp as pain shot through it.   
  
Instantly, the creature whirled round to face her. Five gleaming green eyes stared straight at her, glowing slightly in the dim light. Helga's first thought was that it was some kind of big cat, it was striped like a tiger... but it was blue. And as well as five eyes, it also possessed a formidable set of insectile mandibles. For several uncomfortably long moments, they regarded each other. Tilting its head to one side in what seemed like curiosity, the creature made a sound that was half-growl and half-chitter. Helga tried to stare it down, telling herself that this intimidated big cats on the surface. Well, intimidated or enraged them. There was no way she was taking her eyes off it, that was for sure. She didn't think she'd ever missed her gun quite so badly as she did now.   
  
The green eyes narrowed as the creature clicked its mandibles together disconcertedly. At least Helga hoped it was disconcerted. Then to her horror, it started coming towards her. And there was absolutely nothing she could do, she couldn't get up, and she certainly couldn't fight back. Perhaps if she managed to hit it in the eyes it would back off, and she raised her left hand in readiness, even as she noted how the creature would probably be able to take it off with one bite...   
  
"Tillik!" Both Helga and the creature looked round in unison at the shout. Nikala was standing in the doorway with her fishing spear in one hand; the evening's catch slung over her shoulder. And before the girl could react, the creature charged at her. Helga could only watch in silent fear as it pounced at the Atlantean, expecting it to tear her apart.   
  
The impact knocked Nikala out of the doorway and onto her back on the path outside. The creature was pinning her to the ground, and Helga expected it to tear out her throat any minute. Then, to her complete amazement, the girl laughed and patted the thing on the head, talking to it in Atlantean as if it was no more than an overgrown housecat.   
  
Scratching the big animal's head, Nikala pulled herself out from beneath its paws, stroking its shoulder as she did so. ["Where have you been Tillik? I've missed you."] she said fondly as she ruffled its tiny ears. The creature butted her knees with its head as she got up, almost knocking her down again. ["Behave yourself, or you don't get supper!"] she scolded as she leaned her spear against the wall by the door. Looking over at Helga, she saw the look of utter incomprehension on her face, and realised she should probably explain.   
  
"Uhm... I'm sorry if Tillik scared you." Nikala said apologetically, still petting the animal's head as it rubbed against her legs affectionately. "I should have warned you about him."   
  
"...that THING is a PET?!" Helga replied incredulously, still unable to believe what she was seeing. Not only was Nikala treating the creature like a housecat; it was behaving like one! As it followed the girl about the room, Helga noticed a small string of brightly-coloured beads around its neck like a collar. It looked like it had as much chance of restraining the animal as a cobweb. "Is it dangerous?"   
  
"Oh no, he's not dangerous." Nikala reassured her. "Well, he IS dangerous, but only if he's been told to guard. He only attacks intruders, otherwise he's harmless."   
  
"Right. Wonderful." Still eyeing the creature warily, Helga moved onto her back, which was less painful than her side. Nikala seemed completely unconcerned about the abomination of nature that was now sprawled happily by the fire-pit in the center of the room, so that obviously meant it either posed no threat or that she was insane. Helga hoped it was the former.  
  
  
  



	5. Decisions

**AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER  
  
**Well THAT certainly took long enough! Apologies for the delay, hopefully it won't take so long for me to hack out chapter 6. Then again, knowing me it'll probably take even longer. This chapter was brought to you by strong coffee and ABC Pencil Jelly. (it's unbelievably delicious! No, really! That's what it says on the packet!)  
  
Speech in square brackets indicates that the speaker is talking in Atlantean. I wish I could write in Atlantean, then I'd confuse the hell out of everybody reading this. (what the hell was the point of inventing a whole new language and NOT publishing any decent guides to it?! Silly Disney...)  
  
Finally, Nikala is the product of my crazed imagination, everything else belongs to Disney. Well, Tillik is sorta mine as well but... eh, who gives a shit about the disclaimer anyway.  
**  
  
CHAPTER V - Decisions **  
  
It was a week now since what had almost been the destruction of Atlantis, barely any time at all to the long-lived Atlanteans. Which made the great changes that has occurred since the event even more momentous. Moving through the centre of the city, a woven rush bag over one shoulder, Nikala could see, hear and even feel the difference.   
  
Before the surfacers had come, the day-to-day lives of the Atlanteans had been constant and unchanging to the point of stagnation. Despite the cataclysm that had sent the city to the deepest depths of the earth, once the people had adapted to their new life, it had remained the same for thousands of years. Every inch of the city was soon familiar, even the surrounding caverns lost their excitement. The only changes that occurred were the decay and collapse of buildings and statues; lacking the ability to repair them, the Atlanteans had simply let them lie. Although Nikala had never known Atlantis in it's heyday, she could see that the city was declining.  
  
But not any more. The city was filled with new vibrancy and energy, both the emergence of the Heart of Atlantis from its concealed cavern and the outer districts of the city from their watery graves seemed to have sparked a renaissance. The exploration of the new-old buildings was still not complete; every now and then Nikala could hear people shouting about new discoveries, a temple, a plaza, a building filled with more vehicles like her Martag.   
  
Most importantly of all, one of the surfacers could read the indecipherable glyphs that formed the Atlantean alphabet. Nikala had trouble believing that these strange symbols had meanings as clear as speech; to her it was a concept that bordered on magical. But how else would the surfacer have known how to activate the Atlantean vehicles?   
  
The path leading to the markets ran by a long, semi-ruined wall engraved with more Atlantean letters. Normally Nikala would have walked past it without so much as a glance, but today she paused for a few moments, wondering what the words said. The thought that they were more than just patterns was intriguing, and the ability to read was one that she envied. Reminding herself that she was here for a purpose, Nikala continued on her way.   
  
The markets were busier than usual, which was hardly surprising given the recent events. More than a few people were haphazardly piloting Martags and Aktiraks, along with other vehicles Nikala hadn't seen before. Restraining her curiosity, Nikala made her way through the crowd towards a fruit stall to buy what she needed. But as she turned to leave, a snatch of conversation caught her attention.  
  
["...other surfacers are leaving today, that's what the Nartak in the royal plaza is for...] Stopping dead in her tracks, Nikala looked around for the speaker, but amongst the groups of gossiping Atlanteans it was impossible to find them. There was only one other alternative to find out if what she'd heard was true, and that was to head to the plaza herself.   
  
* * *   
  
"Atlantis will honour your names forever." Kida proclaimed as she placed an Atlantean crystal around Vinny's neck. "I only wish there was more we could do for you..."   
  
Fingering the glowing blue crystal, the Italian shrugged slightly. "Eh, you know, thanks anyway, but... uh... I think we're good." he replied politely, glancing over his shoulder at the huge heap of Atlantean treasure that was being loaded into the stone narwhal. Each of the surviving crewmembers now wore an Atlantean crystal, though Vinny thought they looked a little girly. He'd need to do something about that once they got home.  
  
Standing beside Kida, Milo reflected that their positions could symbolise his decision to stay. The rest of the crew stood in a group opposite them, he was on the other side with the Atlantean princess. Although he knew he would miss them, Milo found that the parting wasn't as bad as he'd thought. Even though, he could feel the beginnings of a lump forming in his throat. "They'll... take you as far as the surface." he said, with only the faintest of quivers.   
  
"We're really gonna miss you Milo." Audrey's voice was uncharacteristically warm, and Milo had to swallow hard to keep the tears back. Besides, he was sure that if he cried in front of Audrey, she'd never forgive him.   
  
* * *   
  
Nikala watched with increasing panic as the crew made their goodbyes, realising that they would be leaving in less than an hour. Without Helga. Her first impulse was to stop them, to run forward and tell them that the blonde woman was still alive. Helga had told her she didn't want them to know that she had survived yet, but surely it was more important for her to leave with her companions than be stranded in Atlantis.   
  
Deciding that the best course of action was to stop the surfacers leaving, Nikala took a few steps forward into the plaza, then paused uncertainly. The only way for her to stop them would be to tell them about Helga... and she knew Helga didn't want her to do that. Maybe she should go back and tell her what was going on first, then let her decide. Her rational side argued that that was a stupid idea, and would take far too long; the rest of the crew could be gone before she even managed to get back to Helga. So she should stop them NOW.   
  
But Nikala found herself retracing her steps before she was noticed, then heading home at the fastest sprint possible. She wasn't entirely sure why she was taking what was undoubtedly the wrong course of action. Partly because she didn't want to make Helga angry... and partly for reasons of her own that she didn't fully understand. Or was pretending not to understand.   
  
* * *   
  
Helga had realised that trying to outstare a creature with five eyes was a difficult and frustrating task. But since it was the only activity she was capable of that was even remotely interesting, she continued to glare at the animal lounging by the fire pit. Tillik stoically returned her stare, his head tilted slightly to the side. It was as if he knew she was waiting for him to look away. She could have sworn that the creature looked amused, though she knew that a: he was an animal, incapable of human emotion, and b: how could anything with mandibles be capable of an expression?   
  
As Tillik shifted slightly, making a series of low, rumbling clicks, Helga's eyes slid fractionally to the side and caught sight of something. The Martag. She could clearly see the stone fish through a window, (and was struck once more by how singularly unaerodynamic it was) it looked like nothing more than a stone sculpture. It was hard enough to believe that the object was capable of flight, let alone a fast and manoeuvrable vehicle. If she hadn't seen it in action with her own eyes, she'd have found the idea ludicrous. Then again, this whole accursed expedition had been full of surprises.   
  
Then it hit her. THAT was how she could escape! All she needed was an Atlantean crystal, then she could steal the Martag and make a break for the caves, hopefully the shaft in the volcano cavern was still open. If not... well... she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. Getting out of the city before she was found was her main concern. She would need to wait until her leg was healed, but then it would be relatively simple to steal Nikala's crystal and activate the Martag with it. That might pose a problem however, since Helga didn't know HOW to activate the vehicle. Oh well, getting Nikala to show her would be easy; the girl was gullible. THEN she'd steal her crystal...   
  
The satisfied smirk that was spreading across Helga's face vanished abruptly as her conscience prodded her. (it seemed that the fall from the gyro-evac had revived it, since it had grown increasingly prevalent since) Nikala had saved her life. Stealing her crystal and her Martag was hardly any way to repay her. Then again, Helga reasoned that if she hadn't shot the gyro-evac, Rourke could very well have gotten away with the crystalline princess, (the fact that she'd been helping him being a moot point) the girl would most likely be dead anyway. And Helga doubted that she was stupid enough to just help her escape; as far as Nikala knew, she had no reason to want to escape. (and she most certainly didn't want her to know WHY she wanted to get out of the city) So stealing her crystal and taking the Martag was really the only course of action she had left.   
  
However, despite these mental reassurances, Helga still felt decidedly uneasy and unsure, two of her least favourite emotions. With a slight sigh of annoyance, she remembered Rourke's words to the mutinous crewmembers who had stayed with Milo. Why did she have to pick now of all times to grow a conscience? Trying to block it out with calculations of how much the Martag would be worth, (even if it stopped working when it reached the surface, it would still fetch a considerable sum from a museum as an ancient sculpture) Helga's gaze wandered blindly across the interior of the gourd as she immersed herself in the thought of money.   
  
The sound of a chittering purr roused Helga from her contemplation, and she realised that Tillik was still watching her. It might have been her imagination, but she was sure that the creature was smiling smugly. She'd looked away first. Scowling faintly, Helga glared at the animal in annoyance. "Alright then... two out of three..." she muttered, regardless of the fact that he couldn't possibly reply.   
  
Barely minutes into the face-off, Tillik looked away sharply, and got to his feet. Helga was about to gloat (no matter how small, it was still a victory) when she heard running footsteps. A chill of foreboding rippled through her as she leaned across to look out the door, and the feeling intensified as she saw Nikala dashing along the path, her long hair streaming out behind her.   
  
Within seconds, Nikala had reached the gourd, and stumbled to a halt, trying to force words out as she gasped for breath, slipping into Atlantean in her haste. ["Surfacers... leaving today... without you... what to do?"] Nikala panted, then slumped down onto the floor, leaning back on one arm as she wiped sweat from her forehead with the other.   
  
"Could you please repeat that slowly... in ENGLISH?" Helga was a little concerned at the girl's exhausted state, but was more worried about the reason behind it. Whatever it was, it was clearly important.   
  
"...sorry..." Nikala gasped apologetically, now leaning heavily on both arms as she mentally translated Atlantean to English. "Your companions are leaving today. Soon. I didn't know whether to tell them about you or not, so I came back to ask you. What do you want me to do?"   
  
"They're leaving?!" Helga's voice was disbelieving. She'd been sure that the surviving crew would have stayed much longer than a week. Especially Thatch, since he'd been obsessed with the place for most of his life. But it was obviously true; she doubted that Nikala would have worn herself out on a mere suspicion.   
  
"Yes, I saw the ceremony in the royal plaza. Once they've finished loading treasure into the Nartak they'll leave." the Atlantean replied, absently scratching Tillik's ears as he lay down beside her.   
  
Opening her mouth to question the girl further, Helga was momentarily stuck mute as conflicting thoughts clashed. Treasure? And what on earth was a Nartak? But most importantly, what to do now? It was impossible for her to get a message to the crew without Kida finding out, Nikala was gullible, but not THAT gullible. The girl was sure to question why Helga didn't want anyone but the crew knowing she was alive. And even if she could get a message to the crew, they were more than likely to turn her over to Kida anyway. Finally deciding that it was best to continue lying low, and escape using the Martag as soon as she was capable, Helga then realised she now had the problem of explaining this to Nikala without making her suspicious. "Are you sure they're all leaving?" she asked, stalling for time as she desperately tried to work out a plausible explanation.   
  
"Not all of them, the one who can read Atlantean is staying with Queen Kida." Nikala told her, wondering what Helga would decide to do. Leave with her companions was the obvious answer, though Nikala felt an odd twinge at that thought. She passed it off as worry, Helga was still injured and the long journey to the surface would not be good for her.   
  
Helga almost sighed thankfully at those words. She was saved. If Thatch was still here then he'd provide a convenient excuse for her. "Well, if he's staying then there's no problem, it doesn't matter if the others leave." she said, keeping her voice casual. "Besides, I can't even walk yet. Once my leg's healed I'll talk to Thatch and sort something out."   
  
"Are you sure?" Despite the odd sense of relief, Nikala felt duty-bound to question Helga's decision. "Wouldn't it be best for you to get back to the surface sooner?"   
  
"Not like this." Helga replied firmly, hoping that the girl would drop the subject before she asked a question she couldn't answer. "I want to be mobile before I go anywhere. I'd just be an inconvenience like this, somebody would have to carry me." She couldn't keep a faint growl from her voice at the thought of that kind of humiliation.   
  
Nodding in acquiescence, Nikala got back to her feet and stretched, her legs still sore from the long run from the plaza. She was about to ask Helga how she was feeling when the woman spoke again.   
  
"Wait a minute... did you say QUEEN Kida?"  



End file.
